Railroad-crossing signal.



Patented Sept. 25. I900.

M. W. TAYLOR. I RAILROAD CROSSING SIGNAL.

(Np Model.)

liar-rim STATES-- PATENT OFFICE.

MINOR W. TAYLOR, OF WATERLOO, IOWA.

RAILROAD-CROSSING SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,409, dated September 25, 1900.

Application filed February 27, 1900. Serial No. 6,779. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MINOR W. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Waterloo,Black Hawk county, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Crossing Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railroad-crossing signal mechanism which is automatically operated only by the approach of trains toward crossings.

The object of the invention is to provide a signal mechanism which will be automatically operated to set in motion a signal and alarm by the approach of the train some distance in advance of a crossing, but which will be unaffected when a train is passing over it in an opposite direction, and is particularly intended as an improvement on my signaling apparatus patented July 21, 1896, under No. 564,234. I

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of said mechanism with the various parts in the positions assumed when in operation. Fig. 2 is a plan View of a portion of the construction. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the signal post and alarm. Fig. 4 is a view of the plunger-box, partly in section.

Similar reference letters and numbers indicate corresponding parts in the several drawings.

The rail Z is marked at one end N and at the other S to denote directions which might be taken by a train when passing over it, and N further denotes that part of: the signaling apparatus which is nearest the crossing.

In Fig. 1 the tubular boxes (0 and a are pivotally attached to the rail Z by means of the lugs 7t and 7.6. On projecting lugs at the lower side of each box are pivoted the working beams d and d. The braces t' and i, which are fixed to the rail I at their upper ends 2' are pivotally attached to the lower ends ofthe working beams d and d, the upper ends of d and cl being connected to the rods n and' sby means of couplings having between them the tensionsprings g and g. The boxes at and a contain pistons or plungers o and c,

the upper ends of which extend through holes in the upper caps of the boxes far enough to allow them to project a little above the upper surface of the rail Z when in operative position. The lower ends of these plungers are provided with rims similar to that of a piston and rest upon a spring 1 within the interior of the boxes, which tends to keep the plungers always above the rail unless depressed by the impact of car-wheels passing over them when a train is moving in the direction S, or away from a crossing. The upper ends of the plungers c and c are pivoted into the upper part of the depressing-levers b and b. The depressing-levers b and b have their ends I) curved downward, while their other ends are pivoted to the cranks h and h, the latter working on studs attached to the outer surface of the rail Z. The springs e and e are at one end linked to the lugs t and at their other ends to the lower portion of the boxes at and a and act in keeping the plungers and depressing-levers always above the surface of the rail when not depressed by car-wheels.

In Fig. 2 the rods n and s are represented as linked, respectively, to the centrally-pivoted lovers 0 and p at the ends of their arms 0 and p which are farthest from the rail. By means of'the short rods q and r the inner ends of the levers o and p are at o and p connected with the extremities of the cranklever 6.

As shown in the side elevation of the signal-post in Fig. l, the crank-shaft u is affixed at its lower end to the middle of the cranklever t and works in bearings upon the post. The upper end'of the crank-shaft u is provided with the fixed arms 42 and 0c, placed at right angles to each other and in a horizontal plane. The'arm '1; supports a swinging bellclapper '0 restrained from too great lateral motion by the'hood o and arranged to impinge upon the gong w when the crank-shaft u is partially rotated.

As shown in Fig. 3, the post 2 supports in a position parallel to that of the-rails a signaling-arm or semaphore y, weighted at its lower portion y. The free end of the arm a: when set in motion by the partial rotation of the crank-shaftu depresses the upper portion g of the semaphore y. When the re- Verse rotation of the shaft removes the pres sure from 3 the semaphore through the gravity of the weight y recovers its perpendicular position, but is prevented from moving in an opposite direction by the stop .2.

The operation of the mechanism as thus far described is as follows: A car-wheel passing in the direction N (toward the crossing) first impinges upon the upper surface of the depressing-lever b, forcing it to a position just below the surface of the rail.- Owing to the position in which the plunger-box a is suspended from the pivot is, its upper portion is also lowered. There is no tendency for the plunger 0 to pass within the box a, as the force exerted is from a direction nearly at right angles to the side of the plunger. The depressing of the upper part of the plungerbox raises its lower end, and by means of the working beam (1 and its couplings the rod 02 is drawn a certain distance in the direction S,moving the outer extremity o of the lever 0 in the same direction, imparting by means of the connecting-rod q, crank-lever t, and crank-shaft a sufficient rotation to ring the gong w and throw over the semaphore-arm y. The car-wheel which depressed the lever I) now passes over and depresses the lever b, which in like manner operates the signal through the movements of the plunger-box ct,working lever cl,and the other connections. The pressure having been removed from the depressinglever b, the spring e draws it above the surface of the rail in readiness to receive the blow of the next approaching wheel, and thus the signal-gong and semaphore are kept in continuous action until the train has passed by.

The boxes a and a are prevented from moving backward from their operative position by means of the fixed studsfandf.

The springs g and g may be placed at either end-of the connecting-rods and serve to relieve wearing efiects produced by the jarring impact of the wheels and to equalize varying lengths in the rods caused by changes of temperature, the.

The operation of the mechanism when a train passes over it in the direction S or away from the crossing is as follows: The carwheel strikes the extremities b of the depressing-levers b and b at a point where the force is exerted directly upon the endof the plungers c and c, pushing down the levers band b below the upper surface of the rail and the plan gersintotheinteriorof the boxes. Thesprings e and e and studsf andfhold the boxes in upright position, preventing" any motion which would operate the signal. sure of the wheel is removed from the end of the pl ungers, the recoil of the springs 1 causes them, with their levers b and b, to ascend into operative position.

The various rods and levers may be incased, as at 3 or otherwise, in any sort of protecting boxes or tubings, and, if desired, either one of the signaling-gong or semaphore arms may be dispensed with. The various When presrods and levers may also be constructed in any other suitable and equivalent manner.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

, l, A railroad-crossing signal mechanism;

comprising signal-operating arms attached to a crank-shaft within bearings on a post at the crossing adapted-to rock the signal-agitating arms back and forth, a crank-lever attached to the lower end of the crank-shaft, connecting-rods linked to the ends of the crank-lever and at their other ends to centrally-pivoted levers whose' opposite ends are linked to connecting-rods lying parallel with the outer side of rail, springs connecting the connecting-rods to working beams, working beams linked at one end to the springs and at the other to braces pivotally attached to the rail, tubular boxes containing plungers provided with piston-shaped heads resting upon springs placed in the interior of the boxes, suspended from the rail at an inclination toward the crossing and pivotally connected to the working beams,plungers Working within the boxes and having their upper ends pivotally connected to depressing-levers,depressing-levers connected at one end .to the plungers and at the other to a crank-arm working upon a stud attached to the rail, springs linked at one end to lower portion of plunger-boxes and at the other to lugs attached to rail, studs attached to rail at proper places to regulate the position of the plunger-boxes, all substantially as herein set forth and described.

2. A railroad-crossing signal mechanism, comprising a tubular box containing a plunger resting upon a spring, the upper portion of plunger passing through an opening in the top of said box and normally raised above the upper surface of rail, a spring connecting plunger-box with rail, a depressing-lever at one end pivotally connected to rail and at the other to the upper portion of plunger, a workin g beam pivoted to the lower portion of plunger-box, the lower end of the beam moving upon a fulcrum-pivot and linked at its upper end to a connecting-rod supplied with a tension-spring, a connecting-rod and tension-spring linked to a centrallypivoted lever, a centrally-pivoted lever linked to a connecting-rod pivoted to a crank-lever attached to a crank-shaft moving within hearings on a post at the crossing, all substantially as herein set forth and described.

' 3. In a railroad-crossing signal mechanism, the crank-shaft to working within hearings on the post 2 at the crossing, the signal-operating arms 0 and 0c, bell-clapper v and hood v, bell w, signal-semaphore y with weighty pivoted to the post 2, stop ,2, crank-lever 15, connecting-rods q and r, centrally-pivoted levers 0 and p, connecting-rods n and s and springs g and g, in combination with the working beams d and cl, braces z' and 11, plunger-boxes a, and ct, plungers c and 0 resting on springs l, depressing-levers b and b, crank-arms h The following subcombiuation of elements,

viz: the depressing-levers b andb, plungers I 5 c and c, plunger-boxes a and a provided with springs placed therein and suspended from rail at an inclination toward crossing, studs fand f, springs e and c, all provided with suitable connections and supports, substan- 2o tially as set forth and described herein.

Signed by me at Waterloo, Iowa, this 5th dayvof February, 1900.

MINOR W. TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

D. A. KENNEDY. F. F. HALL. 

